The Value of Specificity

As a coach, you spend a lot of time making recommendations, and you want those recommendations to be meaningful and powerful.  For teachers who need a lot of support with a new instructional approach, your recommendations will likely be as effective as they are specific. 

EFFECTIVENESS = SPECIFICITY

Recently, I coached a coach who was feeling frustrated.  “Her classroom management just isn’t improving,” she said, bemoaning the stagnant state of this novice teacher’s skill.  “Every lesson that I’ve observed, I’ve talked to her about it.  I’ve told her that if she focuses on the classroom management, the other pieces will fall into place.”

“What specific recommendations have you made about classroom management?”  I asked.  The coach quickly saw where I was leading.

“I guess I haven’t really gotten specific,” she said.  We then talked about specific recommendations she might make, including having a class discussion about how misbehavior impacted learning for the whole class, dropping the pitch of her voice to get students’ attention, and practicing her ‘teacher look’ in front of the mirror.  When the coach provided these very specific recommendations, it made a difference quickly.

Specific recommendations also made a difference with a teacher I was coaching.  Discussions in her classroom were falling flat; ineffective questioning patterns produced student disengagement, and student-to-student talk was almost non-existent.  After observing this teacher in action, I made a very specific recommendation:  DO NOT REPEAT STUDENT ANSWERS.  When I discussed this recommendation with the teacher, she acknowledged that she had recognized this problem herself, but found herself repeating all the time because students' voices were soft and didn’t carry well in the room.  I made another specific recommendation:  ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR ANSWERS ‘LOUD & PROUD.’  Using this catch-phrase, with a little explanation, would help students feel ownership for their responses.  As the teacher prompted loud and proud responses and quit repeating students’ answers, dialogue in the classroom took a turn for the better.  Specific recommendations had made a difference.   

Very specific recommendations like these can get a teacher pointed in a positive direction.  Of course, when less support is needed, recommendations can be more general, or another form of coaching, like asking questions, may be more appropriate.  When teachers are looking to you for answers, however, a coach’s specific recommendations can really hit the mark.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A template for a pre-reading anticipation guide, useful in any content area:

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/printouts/AnticipationGuide.pdf

A podcast about working with English Language Learners and their families:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1973

A blog post about the power of collaboration:

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/blog/collaboration-change-force

National Geograhic’s Photo of the Day – great for descriptive writing practice:

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/

This TED talk focuses on why and how some teachers are giving the math curriculum a makeover:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Recommending: Gentle Words

When I was young, my mom often bought the Reader’s Digest magazine in the check-out line at the grocery store.  Her favorite part was the section called, “It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power,” which was really just a simple multiple-choice vocabulary test of interesting words.  Maybe it was that introduction that sparked my interest in the power of words, because I’ve always been intrigued by the importance of finding the “just right” word for a situation. 

As a coach, it’s not necessarily the big fancy words that are important.  But choosing the word that has a kinder, gentler feel can make a big difference in how a recommendation is taken up.  When I say, “I’m wondering how a Venn diagram would work in this lesson,” it is an invitation for the teacher I’m working with to consider this tool.  “You should use a Venn diagram instead of that chart,” would not be received nearly so well. 

In the spirit of gentle words, I invite you to look over the table below and consider some soft words you might include in your conversations with teachers:

Harsh Words	Gentle Words
but	since
	so
you	we/us
should/must	could
always/never	sometimes
will	might
best	possible
determine	consider/wonder
wrong	different

Although these are small and simple words, I think you’ll find that they do enrich your word power!

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A video about changing from “have to” to “get to” – the power of language:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eNJaObd05YI

If end-of-year research projects part of teachers’ end-of-year plan, share this free online organizer for bibliographic information:

http://www.bibme.org/

Awesome diigolet is a simple tool that allows you to highlight and sticky note on web pages – and those markings are right where you left them when you revisit a website!  Info at:

https://www.diigo.com/tools/diigolet

Concept maps are a great way to organize information during research.  Try this free online organizer:

https://bubbl.us/

Lesson plans for informational texts:

http://www.ncte.org/lessons/nonfiction-texts?roi=echo4-25932451636-35121896-042de28d9de941830ecd0f124e7fa679&

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Hope-Filled Coachin

At this time of year, pressures from external testing can drag teachers down.  But once testing is behind us, coaches can offer an injection of hope into the school climate by taking a strengths-based approach to their work.

Optimism and a can-do attitude create contagious confidence.  They encourage resilience and a desire for continuous improvement.  One of the ways to promote a sunny disposition is to build on teachers’ strengths in your work with them.  Surprisingly, areas of struggle become easier to address – and sometime disappear entirely – when you and the teacher you are working with are focused on making what is good even better. 

Recently, I was working with a teacher who had so many areas for improvement that it was hard to know where to start.  So I flipped the situation and started with the area where she showed the most promise – mathematics.  I could tell by her responses during class discussions that she had a deep, conceptual understanding of math.  Asking her about this, I discovered that she loved math and had taken high-level math courses in college.  She truly understood where the basic concepts she was teaching her young students were leading.  So the next coaching cycle focused on her math instruction.  We planned around building the important concepts she recognized; we had thoughtful discussions about specific student needs; we talked about the approaches that seemed most successful.  Over the course of the coaching cycle, I more frequently saw a smiling countenance when I was in the teacher’s classroom.  Both she and students were more engaged, and she adapted powerful practices that were part of her math lessons to other academic areas.  These changes felt good to everyone involved.

You might consider these other suggestions for building a positive atmosphere:

*Create opportunities to tap imagination and creativity

*Do one thing (no matter how small) that adds beauty

*Encourage empathy

*Celebrate successes

*Promote wonder

Take these broad suggestions and make them specific to the needs of your school.  Your own buoyant attitude can support a sense of connectedness, trust, and possibility in your school.  Your hopefulness can encourage the hopefulness of others.

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It’s national poetry month!  This week, you might want to take a look at:

Integrating math and poetry:

http://fawnnguyen.com/2013/03/07/one-rod-tall.aspx

An online interactive tool for creating acrostic poems:

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/acrostic/

A student handout for how to summarize a poem:

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Newsletter/60237Handout9.C.pdf?roi=echo4-25905146477-35035300-b8a34445e66158656877c4cd52ceacbc&

A lesson plan for composing a “found poem”:

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/bear-poem-composing-performing-835.html?tab=4#tabs

Learn about “Poem in Your Pocket Day” on April 24:

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/406

A Pinterest Poetry Board:

http://www.pinterest.com/nctedotorg/poetry/

Thoughts from Diane Sweeney about strengths-based support:

http://dianesweeney.com/strengths-based-approach-supporting-coaches/?utm_source=March+2014&utm_campaign=March+2014+blast&utm_medium=email

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Rear-View Mirror

re·flec·tion    \ri-ˈflek-shən\

: an image cast back by a mirror or shiny surface

: a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation

When we talk about reflecting on teaching, we are incorporating both of the above definitions – the seeing again and the pondering.  Reflection is taking a look in the rear-view mirror.  As teachers reflect, they replay a lesson in their minds, bringing a deeper understanding of their teaching and their students’ learning.   They ruminate over past events so that they can plan for future ones. 

Reflection means that teachers see themselves and their students again.  They reexamine the learning event critically.  That’s another definition worth taking a look at: 

crit·i·cal         adjective \ˈkri-ti-kəl\          

: using or involving careful judgment about the good and bad parts of something

It’s important to recognize what went well so those practices can be repeated.  Did students’ understanding increase because of peer-to-peer dialogue?  Then build it in to future lessons.  Did a Venn diagram push thinking to higher levels?  Find ways to incorporate it into upcoming work. 

Seeing the lesson again can also help to eliminate practices that aren’t working so well.  Did a lack of wait time produce low-level responses?  Did a read aloud fall flat because students lacked necessary background knowledge?  Realizations like these give us direction for improving instruction. 

Effective reflection requires self-awareness and candor.  It means spending time in deep thought.  Reflection includes serious thinking and questioning as specific examples are re-visioned in the mind.

Reflection is an important aspect of a teacher’s work, and a coach can play a supportive role in this process.  As a coach, you can support reflection by:
      *    Recording a lesson so teachers can review it later (on their own or with you)
      *    Scheduling time to contemplate a lesson (a pause in the busy day of a teacher)
      *    Drawing attention to specific aspects of a lesson
      *    Asking questions that cast the teacher’s thinking back to details
      *     Affirming or praising practices that supported student learning

Sound familiar?  Mentoring practices from the GIR model help teachers to ‘see again’ and ponder their instruction.  When teacher and coach reflect together, they see what students have learned and what they still need to know. 

Some teachers are naturally reflective or have already developed this important skill.  Most, however, will benefit from having a coach as their reflective partner.  When we think of coaching as assisted reflection, we provide more than just a mirror.  We provide support that is gradually reduced as teachers develop reflection as a habit of mind.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A podcast about ways to bring more energy and joy to teaching:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1955

Suggestions for getting beyond working with the go-ers:

http://heatherrader.com/archives/161

A Pinterest page with book picks for teaching opinion writing:

http://www.pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/argumentative-opinion-support-texts/

Consider 3 F’s of an effective writing conference (frequency, focus, & follow-up) from this blog post:

http://blog.stenhouse.com/archives/2014/02/19/in-the-classroom-with-jen-conferring-with-young-writers/

A rich collection of math resources for teachers (and students) to explore:

http://mathmunch.org/

Wondering about Wikispaces and how you can incorporate them into your teaching?  Watch this video introduction to Wikispaces:

http://www.wikispaces.com/content/wiki-tour

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Coaching by Walking Around

“You can observe a lot by watching.”

                                                 ~Yogi Berra

Although I’m guessing you already have plenty of acronyms in your educational vocabulary, today’s coaching blog post suggests you add one more: CBWA – Coaching by Walking Around.   In suggesting that you try CBWA, I’m putting a new spin on an old practice that is gaining renewed energy in the business world.  “Management by walking around” was popularized in the 1980’s and is making a comeback because it builds rapport and provides a first-hand opportunity to see how things are going.  Coaches can benefit from the practice for the same reason.  Here are some tips for reaping the benefits of CBWA:

1.   Make CBWA part of your routine.  Let colleagues know you’ve learned about a new coaching practice and want to give it a try.  Tell them you’ll be casually dropping into rooms for quick visits…Just long enough to lend a hand in passing out papers or kneel down and have a child explain his work.  Block out short, random spots on your calendar several times during the week.  The more often you do it, the more beneficial it is.  In 15 minutes you can make the rounds, see lots of teachers, students, and classrooms, and get some exercise, too!  Make sure your CBWA walks are at different times during the day so you get a sense of the wide variety of learning that is going on. 

2.  Go it alone.  Make it a solo experience.  Don’t walk in with another teacher.  Don’t walk with the principal or assistant principal – that smells like evaluation!  Your intention is to be in tune with the contexts, content, and routines of learning so that the support your offer – whether one-on-one, small-group, or in a staff training – is on target. 

3.  Visit everybody.  Dropping in on some folks more often than others is likely to create the wrong kind of buzz.  Hopefully coaching in your building is an all-in model: Everyone (including you!) benefits from the process.  So as part of the CBWA process, try to spend roughly the same amount of time in each classroom – not necessarily in the same day or week, but over time and across visits. 

4.  Recognize good ideas.  Leave a quick note – a small post-it is all it takes – naming one specific thing you noticed or appreciated.  Especially well-received is an anecdotal record about the great thinking a specific student was doing.  Don’t criticize.  Recommendations can come in other parts of your coaching work as needed, but keep CBWA positive.  Remember, your goals for walking around are to gather information and build rapport.  Don’t undermine your effort.

Being visible to all teachers in the school – with a smile on your face and a compliment in your wake – can keep you in tune and open doors for ongoing coaching work. 

This week, you might want to take a look at:

The great quote on this Pinterest board (so true for me!):

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/286682332504299890/?e_t_s=pins&e_t=4c43f15ae4a043748352400c42b3d815&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_recs_140310_subj_fresh_pins

A video about literacy in the high school science classroom:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/pairing-students-in-classroom?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

A podcast about student research:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1849

Reading for pleasure boosts math scores and more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10299763/Reading-for-pleasure-boosts-pupils-results-in-maths.html

This lesson plan from NCTM, based on the Apache game "Throw Sticks," packs plenty of math content into a simple variation of a game of chance:

http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L585

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Modeling as a Blueprint for Redesigning Instruction

Have you thought about how different teaching is from other professions?  In the giant Venn diagram of jobs, teaching has many characteristics that fall only within its sphere.  One of them is the experiences teachers bring to the profession.  Unlike other professionals, teachers take on their role having had considerable experience as recipients of the service they are about to provide.  Although a new lawyer may have had some interactions as a client in the legal system, and certainly doctors have been patients multiple times in their lives, teachers have far more experience in the “customer’s” seat, having spent at least 17 years in school prior to entering the profession.  This experience is what Lortie (1975) called an “apprenticeship of observation.”  Although there are some benefits to this vast experience, it comes at a cost.

Throughout their years in school, most teachers’ experiences have included examples of less-effective instructional practices.  Modeling is a fruitful way to redesign these pedagogical approaches.  For example, testing in recent decades has focused some teachers’ instruction on acquisition of facts as a learning goal.  This goal may manifest itself in the use of fill-in-the-blank worksheets and closed discussions with teacher as dispenser of knowledge.  If you are working with a teacher who has inherited such practices, it’s time for an instructional remodel!

First, find a thoughtful way to call attention to the practice that needs replacing.  Think like an architect.  What is it that’s ineffective in the current set-up?  Why?  Be able to describe it.  Be able to back the concern with more than a logical explanation.  Acknowledging the impact of past experience and then drawing in the voice of an outside expert by using an article or citing research can diffuse the finger-pointing feeling.  Then help the teacher to see the redesign you’re envisioning.

Modelling can serve as a blueprint for redesigning instruction.  It can help a teacher overcome less-effective practices absorbed through their “apprenticeship” and apprentice them into more effective instruction.  As you model, encourage the teacher to look for the differences – specifics ways in which she can remodel what she’s been doing to update instruction.  For example, to remodel the less-effective teacher-as-dispenser and student-as-fill-in-the-blanker routines, the teacher might notice your open-ended questions and the ways in which you use graphic organizers to support student thinking. 

Remodeling can be overwhelming as a DIY project, but with a coach for support and modeling to provide a blueprint, the teacher you are working with can move forward successfully with their redesign project!

Lortie, D. (1975).  Schoolteacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A video about revising a lesson:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/when-lesson-plans-fail

A collection of articles about elementary math instruction, including teaching fractions, understanding spatial skills, and the role of gender in math instruction:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/spotlight-on-elementary-math-sponsored.pdf

An article from the coach’s perspective about purposeful guided reading lessons and grouping students for instruction:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1195

An article from Teen’s Health on test anxiety (includes an audio link to have the article read aloud):

http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/test_anxiety.html

Using the internet safely:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-digital-citizenship

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Close Reading and Romance?

What do close reading and romance have to do with each other?  A lot, according to S.I. Kishor, author of the short story, “Appointment with Love.”

I usually steer clear of the Common Core Wars and focus my blog comments on coaching-specific topics.  But this week I watched a short (28 minute!) movie that exemplified my own view on close reading so well that I felt the blog could take a detour.  Math folks, don’t stop reading – the main character in the movie is a high school math teacher!

Without being a spoiler, I’ll just say that the movie, called “The Book and the Rose,” (and taken from the short story referenced above) tells the tale of a couple who initially meets and eventually falls in love because of notes sprawled in the margins of a donated book.  A spunky and insightful personality is illuminated by those marginal comments, providing an authentic model for close reading. 

Unfortunately, with adoption of the Common Core, close reading has sometimes turned into a very formulaic enterprise.  “That’s not how you do close reading,” I recently heard.  “You don’t think about author’s language use until the third read.”  But what if that idea happens to pop into your head the first or second time you read a selection?  Or what if it there’s one sentence that is actually worth rereading four or five times, because you just love the way it sounds, or the image it paints, or what it makes you think about?

My point is, close reading is a very good thing.  And it is exactly what the name implies: reading closely.  It shouldn’t require a formula.  It should require an active mind and attention to things both big and little that are hiding in the writing. 

Can you know someone’s mind and heart by reading their responses to a book through the notes they wrote in the margins?  I suppose it depends on the book.  And I know it depends on the reader.  Watching a short romance movie got me thinking about how close reading can mean spilling our thoughts – our conundrums, our querries, and our insights - onto the margins of a page.  If you want to convince someone of the merits of close reading (and that someone is a hopeless romantic!), you just might want to share the movie, “The Book and the Rose” (available now on Netflix).

That’s it for my blatant movie promotion – next week I promise to return to my more staid comments about coaching!

This week, you might want to take a look at:

The text from the original short story, “Appointment with Love.”  WARNING:  It doesn’t portray the essence of close reading – you’ve got to watch the movie for that.  And if you’re going to watch the movie, don’t read the short story until after watching the movie!

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/therose.asp

I bought the movie on Amazon so I could show clips at an upcoming professional development meeting.  You can find it at:

http://www.amazon.com/Treasured-Stories-Collection-Lucado-Story/dp/5550268124/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1394230440&sr=1-2&keywords=book+and+the+rose

Okay, now I’m really done with the movie promotion. 

Here's video about acting out word problems:

http://nicoraplaca.com/one-strategy-attacking-word-problems/

Do teachers need to switch things up now that spring is around the corner?  Here’s a Pinterest board about the thinking behind varying seating arrangements:

http://www.pinterest.com/runfardvs/classroom-seating-arrangements-and-learning-spaces/

Tips for professional development:  What to do when people are talking while you’re presenting:

http://heatherrader.com/archives/208

That’s it for this week.  Happy coaching!